Child's play
by Eleanoraaa
Summary: Sam gets de-aged, and Dean is left caring for a two year old brother. Thing is, he doesn't really mind. Sam is a lot less upset about.. everything they've put each other through this way.
1. Chapter 1

Dean was leaning back on his bed, sorting again through the pictures on his dresser. He had being doing that a lot lately, reminding himself that he had a family, that he was alive. He sighed, staring at a picture of him and Sam as very young children. Sam must have been what, two? He smiled at the memory, lowing the picture and glancing towards the door of his room. Then back at the picture, and back the doorway. "Sammy?" He asked incredulously. Sam toddled over, reaching chubby arms up to his brother "Dee! Up!"

_No way. _Dean thought. _I'm hallucinating. _Even as he thought this, he was reaching down and picking up the toddler, instinct taking over. "Hey, Sammy, what happened to you?" He inquired, settling Sam on his hip and bouncing gently. Sam reached over, patting his cheek gently. "I was at the libary, and Gab-i-al took me home! He gave me candy!" He burbled, sticking his bright blue tongue out for inspection. Dean stared at his little brother, absentmindedly poking his tongue back into his mouth. "Gabriel, huh?"

"yeah, an' Cassie was there too, but he wasn't happy, he looked all scary, like this" Sam made the most annoyed face a two year old could manage, pulling his eyebrows down to glower at Dean, who chuckled softly.

"what did they say to you, hm?"

"uuhh... Cassie said 'sorry, he got here first' an' then Gabey says 'don't worry, we'll go home an' Deanie will play with you' an' _then_ he gave me a lollipop"

Dean groaned, dropping his face into his free hand, mumbling. "four years, that fucker disappears, and _this_ is what he does when he gets back? why isn't he _dead?_" Sam squeaked in indignation, pouting

"don' want Gabey to die, Dean"

"Don't worry Sammy, he didn't. Obviously"

Dean had wandered out to the kitchen while Sam prattled on, and settled his baby brother on a chair. "Want something to eat, Sam?" Sam bounced on his chair, pulling himself up to stand on it, clutching the top of the chair tight in tiny fingers. "I wanna hot dog, Dee" Dean stepped over, scooping up his brother and sitting him down again with one hand "we don't stand on chairs, we sit like big boys"

Sam pouted, but stayed seated, kicking his little legs while Dean made some hot dogs, cutting Sam's into smaller pieces and letting them cool before carrying them to the table. "here we go, Sammy"

"thanks, Deanie" Sam dug into his hot dog, not bothering with the large fork Dean had put by his plate. He yelped and spit it back out as it became apparent that things right off the oven retained heat. Dean laughed, trying to remember the last time he had been so amused. "blow on it first, remember?" he reminded gently. Sam nodded, puffing out his cheeks to blow dramatically on his hotdog, and the rest of the meal passed without incident.

Once he had finished eating, and Sam had "helped" him clear the table, which consisted of dropping a cup full of water and then stomping in the puddle, and he had cleaned the ketchup off of Sam's face and removed his now soaking shoes, which had conveniently shrunk with him, Dean was ready to take a break. "Hey Sammy, wanna watch some tv, kiddo?" he asked, walking out to an office Charlie had helped him modify into a man cave, complete with a flat screen and surround sound. He took a moment to laugh again at the thought of what Charlie would say about his miniature brother. Dean supposed she would pamper him, Sam had that effect on people. That lead to slightly more depressing thoughts about how his dad had left them at a library or park and how people were always asking after the tot, and whispering about why he had been left with a six year old.

Dean shook those thoughts off quickly, sitting down on a couch and helping Sam scramble up. He picked up his laptop, putting on an show. Sam crawled into his lap, pointing excitedly "cartoons!"

"No, Sammy, it's anime and it's an ar- you know what? Yeah. Cartoons. You can't read, right?"

Sam shook his head, settling back against Dean's stomach.

Dean laughed, for what seemed like the third time in just a few minutes, flicking on the subtitles "then what were you doing in the library, silly?" An odd look flashed over Sams childish features " I... dunno, Dee, why was I..?" Dean shook his head, turning and putting his feet up on the couch, Sam solidly tucked against his abdomen. "don't worry about it"

Dean relaxed into the innocent activity, smiling whenever Sam would bounce and point at the tv, exclaiming excitedly about some inventive weapon or strange hair colour, seeming completely unperturbed by not being able to understand anything. Eventually Dean noticed Sam starting to yawn, tucking a thumb into his mouth. "Hey kiddo, is it nap time?"

"no! no naps!" he yawned again. Dean chuckled again, briefly wondering what had come over him. He stood up, scooping the protesting tot into his arms and throwing him over a shoulder, to a delighted squeal. "What about just story time?" he asked, carrying Sam upside down into the kitchen, warming up a glass of milk because that's what he _did_ for Sam, no matter how long it had been before he last asked for one. Sam contemplated this for a moment, finally agreeing to "_only_ story time, no sleeping".

Dean handed him his glass of warm milk, keeping a hand under it because the damn bunker didn't come equipped with plastic sippy cups, and took him into his room, casting a glance around at the lore books scattered over various surfaces. "what book are you gonna read, Dee?" came a small and sleepy voice from under his chin.

"I'm gonna tell you a new one, Sam. It's about a very strong and very brave boy named Sammy." Said little boy smiled, dropping the glass to rub at his eyes. Dean caught it without missing a beat, and set it down on a dresser, sliding himself onto his bed, sitting back against the headboard. "and this little boy had a very strong and super handsome older brother named Dean, and they loved eachother more than anything in the world-" Sam nodded along, leaning his head on Deans upper arm, eyes blinking slowly. "-and these brothers were superheroes, they worked every day, saving the world a little bit at a time. Sometimes things were tough, and sometimes the superheros didn't really know which side was right, and which side was wrong." He paused, looking down at the tiny form in his lap, who's eyes were shut. "but they did their best, and they always had eachother, and some friends, and everything turned out awesome. The end"

Sammy heaved a sigh, tucking his thumb back in his mouth. Dean stood up as smoothly as he could, holding his brother to his chest and bouncing him softly as he turned off the lights. He paced slowly back and forth in the now dark room, waiting until he heard the tiny snores that had always told him Sammy was safe asleep, and he laid him down slowly on the bed. Sam's eyes popped open the second Dean let go, bottom lip protruding and tears rising and threatening to spill. "Dee..."

"shh, shh, Sammy, I got you" Dean picked him up again and lay down on the bed, settling the child on his chest. That seemed to satisfy Sam, after he got his tiny hand curled around one of Dean's fingers. Dean pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Sam's head, mentally arguing with himself about enjoying his brothers suddenly innocent and much more importantly, _happy _state. Sam had gone all day without seeming at all weighed down with the weight of any of horrendous situations they had found themselves in over the past thirty-odd years. The odd gladness he felt at caring for his brother without him trying to push him away at all. He sighed, Sam a comforting weight on his chest, and shifted his head on the pillow, drifting off eventually, Sam's tiny hand in his a grounding point that let him sleep safe, nightmares held at bay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this took so long to get up, but here! I think this will be the last chapter, but I might write a short epilogue or conclusion or something maybe? This is my first time trying to write fanfiction so any advice/feedback is welcome!**

"DEE! Deanie wake up! wakeupwakeupwakup!" Dean opened his eyes, throwing up a hand to block his face from the wild bouncing of the toddler on the bed. He sat up, stretching his arms over his head and was immediately tackled by a tousle-headed ball of energy. "Dee, I wanna play with Gabe and Cassie" Dean rubbed his eyes, before rolling Sam off him and standing up, checking the time on his phone. Four thirty. "we napped for three hours, kiddo, you're not going to fall asleep tonight, are you." Sam shook his head, grinning. "nope! bedtime is never and I wanna play with the angels!" He dropped to his his knees on the bed, folding his hands and mumbling an invitation to the heavens. Dean stared, chuckling. "you look like a cherub, Sammy, but I think the angels are probably busy toda-"

"Hello, Dean"

"Holy fuck, man!" Deann spun around, breath hitching as he takes in the _very close planes _of Cas's face. He forced himself to step back and resume breathing normally as he heard Sam squeal and slither off the bed. "Gabe! Dean said you wouldn't come an' play but look!" Gabriel grinned, scooping Sam up and spinning him around.

"Hey there, Moose! did you and Dean have fun today?" The archangel asked, setting Sam on his shoulders.

"-nd then we had lunch, but I burned my tongue and had to eat slower and then i helped clean up an' we watched tv an' Dean told me it was nap time but I said I didn't wanna sleep and then _he_ said jus' story time but-"

"That does sound like fun, Sammy, you know what else would be fun? playing with Cassie! I think your brother wants to talk to me" He winked at Dean, who looked like he needed more than a few questions answered and soon. Sam pouted for a moment but then wiggled out of Gabriels arms and bounced over to Cas, grabbing his hand tugging him into the living room, talking too fast to be comprehensible.

Gabriel turned to Dean, giving him a grin. Dean scowled in return.

"Really man? This is- What are yo- you've been gone for _four years_ and you do _this_ to let us know you're back? Where have you been?"

"slow down, Dean-o. You're missing a few key points. One, I'm not "back", I never left"

Dean spluttered

"You never _left?_ I saw your body! I saw the tape! what do you _mean_ you , neve-"

Gabriel held up a hand, rolling his eyes.

"Blah, blah, Ye of little faith and all that. I wanted a way out, I made one. And now I'm here. I've been keeping tabs on you and your brother, and decided to step in."

Dean glared, mouth opening and closing angrily.

"keeping tabs- why now?"

Gabriel seemed to grow a little taller, a new look settling onto his features.

" I decided to step in now, _because" _

He stepped forward a bit

"because your brother isn't doing so well. He's fine physically, of course, but he's been sad, what will all the leaving him for Crowley then trying to smash his head in, you know."

He held up a hand to stop dean from talking, but dropped the scary archangel posure, grinning instead.

"He forgives you, he does, but it takes a toll. So I did a little snooping around in his memories, and I picked out a time when he was really happy, and justed sent him back there"

Gabriel smiled wider

"it helped that he's so cute like this, isn't he"

Dean sighed, looking chagrined.

"Yeah, he is really cute. Will this help with all the.. stuff?"

Gabriel nodded.

"When I bring him back, he won't remember any of it exactly, but he'll remember the feeling. Like a memory booster from when he was two, but now, you see?

Dean didn't. Gabriel sighed.

"Basically, he'll just be reminded that you love him, and he loves you. get it now?"

Assured Dean understood, Gabriel turned towards the door

"if that's all, I'll just go fix him up"

Dean grabbed his shoulder, looking down.

"uh, maybeyoucouldleavehimtinyforalittlelonger?"

He mumbled. Gabriel smiled softly.

"I can't leave him too long, or his mind could get stuck at that age. Go play with him, you've got a couple more hours"

Dean nodded, mumbling a thank you and walking out to the dining room.

He froze. The table was covered in every imaginable colour of play-doh. Cas looked up, smiling guiltily "I'm sorry, Sam asked for play-doh, and he is.. very hard to refuse" Dean met the angels eyes, and cracked up. Cas looked bewildered

"Dean? are you- Dean?"

Dean bent double, gasping for breath.

"Dude, how much play-doh is this? there's like twenty pounds of play-doh on this damn table"

This made no sense to Castiel, who still looked beyond confused. Sam, of course, saw his big brother laughing and joined in, not at all minding the fact that he didn't know what they were laughing about.

"Dee, come make pizza with me!" he said between giggle fits. Dean stood up, taking a few deep breaths before shaking his head and chuckling softly, and sat down next to Sam, pulling a lump of orange play-doh towards him.

"Alright, Sammy. Let's make some pizza."


End file.
